A single-layer jacket can easily be sewn and serged with ease when choosing knit fleece or a Ponte knit fabric. Perfect for three-season enjoyment, theCape Cod Jacket Pattern has perfect style lines to showcase serger stitches.

As part of Baby Lock’s National Serger Month Round-Up, I’d like to show you how I used a serged seam as a feature on this casual jacket. A basic 3-thread serger stitch is all that’s needed and a little serger know-how.

Use decorative or contrasting thread in the upper and lower loopers. I used a black textured nylon.

Test stitch length and stitch width on a scrap of fabric. Determine the settings that you like best.

Decorative Serged Seams

Trim off one of the seam allowances along the diagonal seam. In this case, the seam allowance is 1/2″. Use a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat.

Serge a decorative stitch along the diagonal, stitching on the right side of the fabric.

Serger stitches look different on the front than the wrong side. To have the same look, it’s important to stitch from the right side of the fabric. One front will be serged from top to hem, the second from hem to top.

To make it easier to feed the “bottom to top” stitching—notice the point of the hem area—begin serging on a scrap of fabric (an anchor cloth). Butt the jacket to the anchor cloth and continue serging the edge.

After the serging is complete, clip off the anchor cloth. Presto!

Add a drop of a seam sealant, such as Fray Block or Fray Check, at each seam end to lock the stitches.

Place the fabric on paper toweling, apply a very small drop to the end of the thread tails, and press the thread with an iron to expedite the drying process.

Mark a 1/2″ seam allowance on the right side of the Side Front, using a fabric marking pen.

Overlap Front to Side Front along marked line; pin.

Edgestitch along the serged finish.

Do you prefer your serged seams on the inside?

Stitch this jacket with traditional serged seams. The stitching is fast—the look equally as fun!

Nancy Zieman—author, pattern designer, businesswomen, producer, and national sewing authority—is the host of the popular show Sewing With Nancy®, which appears on public television stations across the United States and Canada and streams online at www.nancyzieman.com. Follow Nancy’s Blog at NancyZieman.com/Blog and sign up to receive Nancy’s E-News for the latest news in Sewing, Quilting, & Creating.

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Mary Anne KApril 6, 2013

Great look! Are you edgestitching along the outside (cut edge) of the serged fabric to maintain the proper seam allowance?

Nancy ZiemanApril 6, 2013

Mary Anne, I topstitched long the inner edge of serged seam. Since the seam allowance was trimmed on the decorative side and overlapped to the stitching line on the other side, the seam allowance will be just fine. In short, you can edgestitch on either side of the serged edged—it will not make any difference. I hope this makes sense!